One way to know that a leak is legitimate is if the parties involved are actively trying to take it down. While Sony hasn’t gone Nintendo and lawyered up yet, a trusted insider is claiming that it wants to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.
According to Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson, the industry-leading console maker has already initiated an internal investigation following the leak of sensitive documents that contain information regarding the PlayStation 5 Pro that was primarily shared with third-party developers.
So far, the leaked information regarding the anticipated mid-cycle console refresh has drawn mixed reactions for its planned performance enhancements, including a potential 28% boost in its overall performance, advanced audio improvements, and possibly, even support for 8K gaming.
Sony’s introduction of “PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution Upscaling,” alongside the use of machine learning and an AI Accelerator, implies an ambition to push the boundaries of console gaming further.
Nevertheless, despite the excitement surrounding these rumors, the precise details of the PS5 Pro’s capabilities and the launch timeline remain unconfirmed, leaving gamers waiting for an official announcement.
While Sony has yet to officially confirm the authenticity of the leaked documents, the company’s response suggests a hint of truth behind the specifications that have circulated online.
Digital Foundry, in particular, has doubled down on the legitimacy of the leaked PS5 Pro hardware specifications, offering insights on its performance. There’s plenty of nuance from their report but the gist is the PS5 Pro’s CPU will feature minimal improvements, stemming from a feature that lets developers boost its clock speed by as much as 10% for a slight bump in performance. Finally, the PS5 Pro should be capable of delivering a 45% faster rendering time compared to the standard PS5 model, with ray tracing performance possibly quadrupled in selected titles.
Nevertheless, Richard Leadbetter believes that the improvements that the PS5 Pro will be making in terms of resolution over the PS5 will be far more noticeable compared to the PS4 Pro and PS4. He’s also advising those hoping to enjoy “super-smooth 60fps experiences” to keep their expectations in check, especially in CPU-limited 30FPS titles like Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3.
In a nutshell, the PS5 Pro will make games prettier at higher resolutions with minimal performance gains. It’s a tad disappointing for those who’d like to see a substantial jump but it’s a more sustainable direction that keeps costs low.
As it stands, the PS5 Pro is expected to be released later this year ahead of GTA 6‘s launch in early 2025.
